Northern Prairies Land Trust Receives Grant from Nebraska Environmental Trust
Northern Prairies Land Trust announced today that it will receive $225,000 from the Nebraska Environmental Trust for the “Enhancing Nebraska's Oak Woodlands” project. The Trust Board announced funding for the project at its meeting on April 8, 2021 in Lincoln. This is the first year of award with a potential for 2nd and 3rd year funding totaling $165,000 and $0 respectively. The project is one of the 113 projects receiving $18,350,515 in grant awards from the Nebraska Environmental Trust this year. Of these, 42 were new applications and 71 are carry-over projects.
Eastern Nebraska’s oak woodlands are a threatened ecosystem that supports numerous at-risk species. Without active management, the future of these woodlands and the flora and fauna they support are in doubt. In 2014, the Northern Prairies Land Trust (NPLT) and its conservation partners formed the Nebraska Oak Woodland Alliance (NOWA) to enhance oak woods. They have since conducted prescribed fire, invasive tree thinning, and weed control on over 15,000 acres of oak woods. Through this NET grant, NPLT and its NOWA partners will continue and expand our oak woodland management efforts on ranches, farms, and conservation lands primarily within ten Nebraska Biologically Unique Landscapes (BULs). The project also includes educational and evaluation components. We are requesting $390,000 in NET dollars for this three-year project. The project partners and participating landowners will provide $460,000 in cash match. The requested NET funds will be used primarily to implement prescribed fire and tree thinning on private lands to enhance oak woods and savannas. The primary benefit of this project will be the enhancement and conservation of Nebraska’s biodiversity-rich oak woodlands. This project will also reduce soil erosion, enhance groundwater quantity, improve recreational opportunities in oak woods, stimulate local economies, and improve grazing resources.
The Nebraska Legislature created the Nebraska Environmental Trust in 1992. Using revenue from the Nebraska Lottery, the Trust has provided over $349 million in grants to over 2,400 projects across the state. Anyone – citizens, organizations, communities, farmers and businesses – can apply for funding to protect habitat, improve water quality and establish recycling programs in Nebraska. The Nebraska Environmental Trust works to preserve, protect and restore our natural resources for future generations.
